Romain Desvignes founded the Keylodge agency in 2019. The company which had the idea of combining the real estate and hospitality professions became the leader in seasonal rental in Reunion and gave birth to a multi-brand group.. Going beyond the tourism sector alone, this set now creates a link between the different real estate markets, even in the long term. Meeting with a visionary entrepreneur.
Meeting Leader : How did the adventure begin ?
Romain Desvignes : At the base, I have real estate training. It turns out that in mainland France, my best friend was from Reunion. For years, he spoke to me about Reunion. When he finished his notary studies, he decided to return to his native island. At the time, my activities were focused on nighttime and events but it was a sector that I wanted to leave to redirect myself towards daytime activities. Having a little cash, I told myself that I was going to stay a few months in Reunion, time to take a break and rebuild a project. Eventually, I never left ! In particular, I found work in a real estate agency, which allowed me to understand the local market. I discovered the existence of a seasonal rental market that remained fallow : property managers did not offer any products to owners interested in seasonal. Personally, I owned an apartment that I no longer occupied. I put it on seasonal. This experience showed me that the economic model was certainly interesting, but demanding and time-consuming : ensure entry and exit seven days a week, take care of the cleaning, manage travelers' technical issues, etc. From my own experience and the observation that many owners wanted to get into the seasonal business, I judged that there was a real need for a service provider to whom to delegate this part of the job. I tested the proposal and it worked. In 2018, I told myself that I needed to go further with a real business project. It took me a year to prepare Keylodge. By combining seasonal rental and management and concierge activities, the owner no longer takes care of anything. The tenant, on his side, is assured of being able to count on an interlocutor. I somehow connected the two worlds of my previous jobs, real estate and events.
The concept was new ?
In a city, concierge service is only practiced in very high-end real estate. Keylodge extends it to all segments, from the bedroom to the luxury villa ; and the whole island. Keylodge is part of a dynamic of territorial anchoring. We also want to show that Reunion is not limited to the western seaside region..
Was the success immediate? ?
He was quick. In three years, we went from 1 to 250 rental homes and from zero to 50 employees. There are fewer of us today because we were able to structure the activity, optimize costs, and set up an organization requiring fewer people.
Was the central role of digital part of the initial concept? ?
Automation and communication technologies have allowed us to manage the costs of the concierge section. We made the physical entries at the start. It quickly became complicated. With 50 accommodations across the island, if you have all tenant entries at 2 p.m., how to do it ? It is impossible to send 50 people at the same time. Not to mention the delays travelers have to manage... We have therefore set up autonomous access to accommodation with GPS coordinates, key boxes, and connected locks. We have digitized the entire customer experience, starting with the functioning of the accommodation : the switches, the washing machine, the cooking plate, management of the electrical panel, etc. Everything is detailed with videos, photos and explanatory texts, in the simplest and most fun way possible. And very quickly, we have implemented customer service seven days a week 24 hours a day, on the hotel model. A seasonal tenant can contact us at any time of the day or night.
You also opened your own reservation site. For what purpose ?
This portal allows you to discover our offers and is a window on Reunion Island. It now generates a third of our sales. Thanks to him, we no longer depend solely on international platforms such as Airbnb or Booking. It secures our economic model.
Keylodge has launched into long-term rental. What exactly are you talking about? ?
The objective is to offer owners a range of solutions allowing them to make their properties profitable.. Seasonal rental is one of them. Long-term rental is another. Seasonal rental can legally last up to 90 days but in practice, tourist stays are short : from two nights to fifteen days. Beside that, there are needs for longer mobility, from professionals on mission or people with a nomadic lifestyle, who regularly change accommodation within our park. For this clientele, we have created monthly rentals with preferential rates. Another form of housing, widely practiced in Reunion, it’s roommate. If we also launched into pure real estate with furnished rental and sale, it’s because of the health crisis. Overnight, the tourist clientele had disappeared. Furnished rental, especially shared accommodation in large villas, an alternative source of property valuation has emerged. Thanks to Keylodge Living, we have structured and professionalized shared accommodation with a housing maintenance service, as we did with seasonal rental. Keylodge has become a multi-brand group between Keylodge Holidays for seasonal rentals and the para-hotelier, Keylodge Living for shared accommodation, and Keylodge Property for furnished rental and sale.
You are now established in Mauritius. Do you duplicate your Reunion offer? ?
Keylodge has the advantage of knowing the largest number of travelers visiting Mauritius, namely those of the Réunionnais and the French of France. We went to Mauritius in 2022 to discover the territory and see if it was possible to duplicate our model there.. Our Port-Louis office functioned correctly, employing up to 13 employees but the Mauritian B2C market is complicated to develop. The financial approach to real estate is different from ours in France and particularly in Reunion Island. : in Mauritius, we invest in real estate to secure cash outside the bank, we do not necessarily expect a return on investment. That is why, to begin with, we preferred to give priority to our development in Reunion. The Mauritian offer was relaunched in the last quarter of 2025 with a proposal focused solely on the marketing of seasonal rentals, without the management and concierge part. Mauritian properties also benefit from the visibility of our direct booking portal.
Are you able to satisfy all the demand? ?
Although leader in the seasonal rental market, we are short of products given the traffic to our portal : 40,000 to 45,000 visits per month ! This is why we decided to open it to seasonal rentals from M. and Mrs. Everyone, that is to say to all owners interested in enhancing their property while managing it themselves without needing our services. The Keylodge portal is now open to the marketing of all seasonal rental offers.
You recently launched Nout’Pass, the first Reunion holiday subscription. Who is this product for? ?
In many countries, and I will take up the case of Maurice, there is a local rate and an external rate. This double pricing rebalances the market by allowing local customers, whose purchasing power is generally lower, to have access to hotel establishments that, without that, would be reserved for external tourists. Having two prices reduces tensions. The inhabitants also benefit from their territory. We started from this observation to imagine how to set up a more advantageous price for the people of Reunion Island.. The Nout’Pass subscription entitles you to a 20% discount all year round on all our accommodation. It can be used by all members of a family. The cost is thus quickly amortized. Launched on the occasion of Black Friday 2025, the product aroused great interest, but the price still proved too high for average budgets in Reunion. We have reduced it by 50% in its brand new version. Or 7 euros per month, so a little more than 80 euros per year. This new offer is finding its audience.
Keylodge is aimed at businesses
Latest initiative : seasonal rental for professionals on mission.
For stays of a certain duration, Keylodge highlights the benefits of seasonal rental including hotel-level service to accommodate professionals on mission. An alternative to a hotel… Companies are also invited to let their employees take advantage of Keylodge’s seasonal rental offers, or even give it as a gift to their customers. The Nout’Pass subscription can fit perfectly into works council programs. Turnkey events are another service, even more recent. It will be launched by Keylodge in 2027 : seminars, study days, afterworks, evenings, etc., in magnificent villas, with the complete organization of the event. Finally, we must cite DB Hôtel Conseil, consulting firm created in 2021, specialized in revenue management (pricing management) and hotel web marketing. This independent but complementary company to Keylodge supports around sixty hotels, mainly in mainland France and the Antilles. In the meeting, she is notably a partner of the Diana Dea Lodge hotel.
